In our 21st century American context, it seems counter-cultural to call ourselves strangers, pilgrims, and sojourners. Even in the church, we’ve idolized the image of middle-class ease and comfortable lifestyle. And when difficulties, trials, and afflictions arise, we think something has gone wrong. Maybe we’ve done something to deserve this. Maybe we didn’t do something … Continue reading Comfort As We Journey →

When it comes to prayer, we can sometimes feel lost. Of course we have Jesus’ teaching on prayer in Matthew 6, but we often find ourselves nodding to Paul’s comment that “we do not know how to pray as we should” (Romans 8:26). Yet we should not throw up our hands in despair. God has … Continue reading A Guide to Prayer →

We all have bents—those things we find ourselves naturally thinking about or focusing on. For example, when someone says something that reminds me of a song, a lot of times it’s going to call to mind some bluegrass ballad or fiddle tune (my music playlist may be a little excessive). For others, they may have … Continue reading Center of Everything →

We all face struggles, difficulties, and even trials. In the midst of those times, we wonder like the old song, "Does Jesus Care?" We know He is there, but does He see us, feel our pain, and care about what we are facing? The Psalmist faced times of difficulty in his own life. He said, … Continue reading Yes, He Cares →

Being a stranger can be awkward. We don’t know the lingo, aren’t aware of all the traditions, and just simply don’t fit in. Perhaps we’re on an extended business trip, visiting another country, or moving to a different region. Whatever the case, there are times we find ourselves as strangers, and we long for a … Continue reading Our True Home →

We can easily find ourselves slipping into the trap of viewing God’s commandments as a mere list of restrictions we have to obey. The goal becomes not sinning, and we feel overwhelmed—and sometimes discouraged—by all we have to do and not do. Sure, we recognize we are saved by Christ alone, but we equate pleasing … Continue reading Our Highest Goal →

We don’t like laws. In our fallen condition, we bristle at commands, rules, and ordinances. Just thinking about HOA guidelines makes me cringe. So when we read Psalm 119 and see how many times the Psalmist says he loves and delights in God’s laws, precepts, and statutes, we scratch our heads and wonder—why?The answer is … Continue reading He Wants Our Hearts →

It’s true for all of us—we’re drawn to power. Whether it be physical power, power over others, or any other form, we feel this inexplicable desire to either see power or exert power ourselves. I mean, this ranges from action-figures, to guys’ fascination with explosions, muscle cars, and even the political scene. Yet there is … Continue reading The Power of Life →

Have you ever been reading through an epistle and thought, “Wow. That sounds pretty arrogant, Paul.” I had this happen to me recently while reading through 2 Corinthians. In the first chapter, Paul says he had planned to visit them “so that you might twice receive a blessing” (1:15). This sounds like Paul was going … Continue reading A Purpose of Blessings →

Over the past couple of years, there’s been a lot of talk about “the mark of the beast.” This refers to some type of allegiance-pledge to the antichrist, and the phrase is introduced in Revelation 13. With so much uncertainty in the world during COVID, a lot of confusion has been propagated about this mark. … Continue reading A Mark of Allegiance →